Washer feed and orienting mechanism



1945- N. v. KUEHLMAN WASHER FEED AND ORIENTING MECHANISM Original FiledJuly 10, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 m H M NM 0 Wu T m M T V. A n a Feb. 20,1945.

N. V. KUEHLMAN WASHER FEED AND ORIENTING MECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 2Original Filed Jply 10, 1941 INVENTOR. lI/o/man ffuefi/mam .4 rro/m/Feb. 20, 1945. v KUEHLMAN 2,369,785

WASHER FEED AND ORIENTING MECHANISM Original Filed July 10, 1941 4Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VEN TOR.

War/flan K Kaleb/man A rriqmvsr;

Feb. 20, 1945. N, ,v. KUEHLMAN 2,369,735

WASHER FEED AND ORIENTING MECHANISM I Original Filed July 10, 1941 4Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

War/72m? k/fuefi/ma/i Patented Feb. 20, 1945 Norman V. Kuehlman,Milwaukee; Wis; assignor to The National Lock Washer ;-,Company, Newark,N. J .',a corporation of- New Jersey "original" application July 10,i-9i+1-,-' =seria1No-.

401,804. -Dividednnd this (applic'ation -Au'gulst' 25, 1'942, Serial No.456,039 1 8 Claims.- (c in -1'62)" a divisionof" my application ser. No.

401,804, fildJul 10, 1941, Patent No. 2,333,940,

issued November 9,- 1943. The'invention described and claimed herein isfor a-- chute for conveying 'lock washers from a storage space to anassembly mechanism and an aligning means cocperating -wi thsaid chutefor aligning all of saidwashers in a; predetermined manner.

' Fig; 1 isa perspectiveview'of part'of a, washer and blank assemblymachine.

Fig; 2 is a plan'view'of partbf thepaith ofthe washer to the assemblymechanism;

Fig; 4=is a-section through ldfofFig. 2.

I Fig.6 is-a-se'ctioh through 5 5 of'Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of part of the washer path from thewasherstorage space to the assembly *inechanism;

*Figf'r is' a" perspective View or the aligning mechanism for the lockwashers. v 1

' Fig. 9 is a:- section through-9 9' of Fig. 2.

Fig; 1 shows suitable storage space for washers W 'This -storage meanscomprises a hopper" I provided to receive asubstantial quantity'of lockwashersW which, in the illustrative drawings, are ofthesplit-r ing type.Hopper I is shown in the former an inverted pyramid; but may beconical-if=-so desired. From the hopper the washers-a'r'e conveyed; alone thewasher pat -o c will be described in detail,-to-anassemblymechanism orthe like (not shown). This invention is designed "to be incorporated anassembly machine for putting lock was'herson bolt blanks, but

'is useful wherever it is desirableto-conve'y washers from onei-pointltoanother,-- alignthem in a predetermined.manner ancl deliver them tothesecond pointiin the predetermined aligned condition.

Thebottomofthe'i:washer hopper I is equipped with two-or more:bafl'le-platesrdesigned to relieve the mechanism immediately undertheopening at the bottom of the hopper from thefull Weight of thesuperimposed lock washers. These baffi-es anism" 6- which servesto'vibrate' said trough and I I in thiswayi'con'trol the-flow of thewashers from the: hopperwThe vibrating mechanism shown is under-'11. S.Letter's Patent Nos. 1,637,401 and Washer flow control is obtained byadjusting the actlvity ofl the vibrator fi. This feature is utilized-to' control the flow of the lock washers from the hopper? Iii-into thetrack feeder 5.

lhe action 1 of thevibraitmg LI'EJGK eederfi is 'su'ch that the'w'iisl-iersiwill movealong it between suitable guides 'I ahd B :to theopenend thereof,

fromiwnicl'i-itheyivvill fall into washer Vibrator 9 (Figs.. 1 and 2) gvvhic'hds'made up of a fia'tbottom portion- 1013116. twoi slopingsideportions I I v and .12. -iirzoe'nd'=wall -l-3 cl'ose'sthe left or u'pperend oftizthew'ibrator (a's viewed in the figures). The

washervibrator Prslopes downwardly irom the left to the .v-ri'ghtpasseen in tnese figures, and is equipped with n"suitable-bafiie I4 and aguide l5 designed to direct. and to' some extent control the ifi'ovvfofLl'thetWashers along this vibrator.

Like i"-eeder-,5', this trough-like washer Vibrator 'QTilSSllIJDQlLtGd.1(113011).E a. vibrating mechanism I6 which is similar tothesme'cha-nism 6. It is so ad- J'us ed andrdesigned -as to vibrate themember 9 to: maihtaima steadysfi'o'w of washers along the.lengthnthereof. ".A lightisteel drag IT is pivoted at I8z1and :designedto: rest upon some of the washer-s -in the'vibrator' 9. soas to steadytheir movement therea-long; .Thiswasher vibrator is tilted, not onlydownwardly, as shownin Fig; 1,

but'a-lso downwardly ltd-the left, as viewed in the direction. of travelof the washers, so that the washers willtztenct tos move toward the wallI2 as well as alohgitudiriallyof .the washer vibrator.

Attheilowe'rfendu of the. vibrator 9 is a throwout' finger IQud'esignedetmguide rolling or tilted washers :out "through at dischargeopening 20.

1From-the 'right=0r lower=encl of the vibrator 9 those washers whiohldo.not some in contact with the. finger I firdrop'z into a :tilted' chuteor track 23.

, This chutesis slightly wider and deeper than the washer. .Thetopoii'the chuteds furnished with :ianotlier :light s-teel dragi2ddesignedto rest lightly upon the washers to keepztli'em inaline. Theinclination-of thechute 23:is such. that thewashers 1 will move alongzitby gravity.

:At theip'ositiong designated in the figuresasthe section through8-i8,irthererisrlocated adjacent to I an t'asipartm the washer: chuteameehanism for positioning each-washer 'ifi tl'ie same relativepositiorr to the' 'ehute as ea cithei washer. If the washers'are; ofithesplit ring-type, as illustrated, theyare preferahlypositioneuso that thesevered -erid s or each washer will "be the leading portion of thewasher-as'i v sembly-"wheh -When so positioned, the line of washers willslide down a chute with little or no tendency for one to ride up on thewasher ahead of it. In the machine illustrated, this positioning isaccomplished by equipping the bottom of the chute 23 with a centralridge track (Figs. 5 and 8) that is, one side of the chute is stepped upand higher than the other side a distance approximately equal to thethickness of the stock from which the washer is made. This may beaccomplished by laying a strip of metal such as at 25, on the bottom ofthe chute 26. The edge 35 of the strip 25 is used as a guide for one endof the split-ring washer, as shown in Figs. 5 and 8.

In order to line one end of the Washers against the edge'of the strip25, a suitable aligning mechanism is provided (Figs. '7 to 9). Thisincludes an endless fiat belt 30 running over pulleys 3|, 32,

and 33, which pulleys'are arranged in a form of a triangle so that thebelt running between pulleys 32 and 33 forms the base thereof, Thisportion of the belt is arranged parallel to the chute 23 and adjacentthereto. Opposite the ,rollers 32 and 33 is a flat spring 34 (Figs. 7and 8) the face of which is positioned on one side of the chute 23opposite to the belt 30. The spring 34 and that part of the belt 39operating between rollers 32 and 33 are so positioned that washersflowing along the chute 23 must pass therebetween with the outside edgesof the washers in contact with both spring and belt (Fig. 8). The spring34 holds each washer against the belt 30. As each washer passes the belt30, it is rotated by the belt counterclockwise when viewed from above onan axis vertical to the plane of the washer until the open end thereofcomes in contact with the edge 35 of the strip 25, when rotation of theWasher is arrested and the positioned washer slides down along thechute, into the washer magazine 36, which may be described as the lowerpart of the chute 23 immediately above anassembly mechanism or otherdevice to which the washers are to be delivered. A light steel springfinger 31 (Fig. '7) holds the washers flat on the bottom of the washerchute while the washers are passing between the belt 30 and the spring34.

A similar spring 38 holds down the washers as they pass out from betweenbelt and spring 34 and keeps them in position as they move towards themagazine 36.

If, by chance, one of the washers does not assume the position shown inFigs..5, 8, and 9 in relation to the washer chute and the edge .of thestrip 25, but becomes tilted up in some manner, this would mean that itwould be higher than in the position shown in the above-mentionedfigures and the clearing wheel 39 would then strike it, throwing itthrough a suitable opening 49 and into the discharge chute 2 I, fromwhich it will drop into the receptacle 22. At 4| is shown a suitablestop or semi-enclosure to guide the discarded washers to the opening 40.The Washer chute or track 23 is tilted downwardly to the left as onelooks in the direction of travel of the washers or downwardly to theright as seen in the opposite direction (see Fig. 9), and this serves toprevent washers which are properly aligned from falling through theopening 40.

Wheel 39 is part of a shaft 42 mounted in bearings 43 and 44 and drivenby belt 45 which operates on pulleys 46 and 41. Pulley 46 is mounted ona shaft 48, to the lower end of which is keyed another pulley 49 beltedto a motor 59 (Fig. 2) by belt 5|. Shaft 48 has mounted thereon a chainsprocket 52 over which runs a roller chain 53 connected to a pair ofsprockets 54 and 54' (Figs.

6 and 8). Sprocket 54' is keyed to the shaft which supports pulley 32,and sprocket 54 is keyed to the shaft which supports pulley 33. In thismanner, motor 50 drives the clearing wheel 39 and also the belt 30.

After a washer passes under the clearing wheel without interferencetherefrom, as shown in Fig. 9, it goes into the washer reservoir 35,which is a chute similar to chute 23, but with two strips of metalrunning along the top, as shown in Fig. 5 at 56 and 51. As will be seenin these figures, the strips 56 and 51 project over the path of thewashers and serve to hold the washers in place as they move towards theassembly wheel.

While it is desirable, it is not essential, that all of a series ofsplit-ring washers shall have their ends against the edge 35, Therefore,in practice, it is found convenient to raise clearing wheel 39 andstrips 53 and 51 above the positions where they permit the passage ofthose washers only whose severed ends actually contact edge 35 to ahigher position so that washers which are not fully in the desirableposition can nevertheless pass into the washer magazine and to theassemr bly mechanism or other device to which the wash- 'ers are to bedirected.

In operation, the washers drop from the hopper l to the chute 5 which isvibrated to encourage their flow therealong and from the end of chute 5they drop into washer vibrator 9. When they reach the lower end ofwasher vibrator 9, those which are tilted or lying edgewise will berejected by arm I9 and will pass through opening 29. The remainingwashers will pass down into chute 23. As they pass along chute 23, theywill come in contact with the belt 38 and spring 34 and will be rotateduntil one end of the washer is brought up against edge 35 of strip 25and, so aligned, the washers will pass down along the chute 23 to thewasher magazine 36. If by any chance a washer is misaligned, it will behigher than the other washers and will come in contact with the rotatingclearing wheel 39 as it attempts to pass thereunder. The clearing wheelwill reject such misaligned washer and force it out through opening 40.

While I have shown the invention asembodied in a specific form, it is tobe understood that various changes in details may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the'invention as defined by the appendedclaims.

I claim:

, 1. In a device of the character described, a track along which aseries of washers having a non-circular periphery may be moved, aligningmeans comprising moving means to rotate each washer as it travels alongsaid track, said means adapted to move in a direction parallel to saidtrack, and a stop to engage a non-circular part of the washer, when thewasher is rotated, to prevent further rotation thereof.

2. In a device of the character described, a track along which a seriesof split-ring washers may be moved, aligning means comprising a movingbelt arranged to engage the edge of each washer detachably as the washertravels along said track whereby the washer is rotated on its axis, anda wall in said track extending parallel to the line of travel of thewashers and arranged to be contacted by an end of each Washer, when thelatter is rotated, to prevent further rotation thereof and to guide saidwashers in alignment in the further travel thereof along said track.

3. In combination, aligning means comprising a track along which anirregularly-shaped article may travel, a surface on said track disposedsubstantially at right angles to the bottom of said track, and movablemeans for rotating said article as it passes along said trackuntil aportion of said article contacts said surface to prevent furtherrotation thereof, said surface being a part of said track.

4. In combination with a stationary track alon which irregularly-shapedarticles may travel, aligning means comprising a belt' adapted to rotatean article as it travels along said track, and a stop which is part ofsaid track adapted to engage a part of said article to limit therotation thereof.-

5. In a device of the character described, a track along which a seriesof split-ring washers may be moved, aligning means comprising belt meansto rotate each washer as it travels along said track parallel to theline of travel of said washers.

7. In a device for conveying and aligning washers having a non-circularperiphery, a track along which a series of such washers may be moved,aligning means comprising means to roadapted to cooperate with saidaligning means to' force each washer into engagement with said Ialigning means, and a stop to engage a nonsaid track, and a stop whichis part of said track to engage an end of the washer when rotated torotate each washer as it travels along said track, and a stop to engagean end of the washer when rotated toprevent further rotation thereof,said stop comprising a surface extending along circular part of thewasher to prevent further allel to the line of travel of the washers andarranged to be contacted by an end of each washer when the latter isrotated to prevent further rotation thereof and to guide said washers inalignment in the further travel thereof along said track.

' NORMAN V. KUEI-ILMAN.

